Photocatalytic material for splitting oxides of carbon

ABSTRACT

An embodiment relates to a photocatalytic composite material comprising (a) a first component that generates a photoexcited electron and has at least a certain minimum bandgap to absorb visible light and a structure that substantially prevents the recombination of the photoexcited electron and a hole; (b) a second component that adsorbs/absorbs an oxide of carbon; and (c) a third component that splits the oxide of carbon into carbon and oxygen using the photoexcited electron.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of Indian Patent Application No. 2645/CHE/2009, filed Oct. 30, 2009, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Scientists have determined that a number of human activities may be contributing to global warming by adding excessive amounts of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, to the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide traps heat that normally would exit into outer space. While many greenhouse gases occur naturally and are needed to create the greenhouse effect that keeps the Earth warm enough to support life, human use of fossil fuels could be a source of excess greenhouse gases. By driving cars, using electricity from coal-fired power plants, and heating our homes with oil or natural gas, humans release carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. Deforestation is another significant source of greenhouse gases, because fewer trees mean less carbon dioxide conversion to oxygen.

During the 150 years of the industrial age, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by 31 percent. One way to reverse this trend is to introduce a system that can split oxides of carbon into carbon and oxygen. One approach is to use a photocatalyst. However, most photocatalysts work in the UV region and are inefficient or do not absorb visible light.

SUMMARY

The embodiments herein relate to a photocatalytic composite material comprising: (a) a first component that generates a photoexcited electron and has at least a certain minimum bandgap to absorb visible light and a structure that substantially prevents the recombination of the photoexcited electron and a hole; (b) a second component that adsorbs/absorbs an oxide of carbon; and (c) a third component that splits the oxide of carbon into carbon and oxygen using the photoexcited electron. For example, the first component comprises a photocatalyst. For example, the photocatalyst comprises a semiconductor. For example, the photocatalyst comprises titanium oxy nitrate. For example, the certain minimum bandgap is at least about 3.4 eV. For example, the photocatalyst is crystalline. For example, the second component comprises a Group I or II carbonate. For example, the second component comprises CaCO₃, MgCO₃, Na₂CO₃, NaHCO₃ or combinations thereof. For example, the third component comprises WC, TaO₂, Pd, Pt, Ru, Sn or combinations thereof.

Another embodiment relates to a carbon sequestration device comprising a substrate and a photocatalytic composite material comprising: (a) a first component that generates a photoexcited electron and has at least a certain minimum bandgap to absorb visible light and a structure that substantially prevents the recombination of the photoexcited electron and a hole; (b) a second component that adsorbs/absorbs an oxide of carbon; and (c) a third component that splits the oxide of carbon into carbon and oxygen using the photoexcited electron. For example, the substrate is transparent or non-transparent. For example, the substrate comprises a quartz plate, a plastic sheet, a glass sheet, a wall of a house, a roof of a house, or combinations thereof. For example, the device can further comprise a conductive layer between the substrate the photocatalytic composite material. For example, the conductive layer is transparent or non-transparent. For example, the conductive layer comprises a metal layer, an indium-tin-oxide layer, a zinc oxide layer, an aluminum oxide layer, or combinations thereof.

Yet another embodiment relates to a method of carbon sequestration comprising exposing an oxide of carbon to a photocatalytic composite material and splitting the oxide of carbon to form carbon and oxygen, wherein photocatalytic composite material generates a photoexcited electron, adsorbs/absorbs the oxide of carbon, and splits the oxide of carbon into carbon black and oxygen using the photoexcited electron. For example, the oxide of carbon comprises carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon suboxide, or combinations thereof. For example, the method could further comprise removing the carbon black from a surface of the photocatalytic composite material. For example, the method is implemented in an urban area, a coal, gas or oil fired power generation plant, on a roof top or exterior wall of a house, an office or hotel complex, a bus stop, a parking lot, or combinations thereof.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows an example of a carbon sequestration device having a substrate coated with a sample photocatalytic composite material.

FIG. 2 shows the SEM image of a sample photocatalytic composite material and XRD EDAX spectrum of the sample.

FIG. 3 shows the Raman spectrum and FTIR spectrum of the sample photocatalytic composite material.

FIG. 4 shows the XRD spectrum of the sample photocatalytic composite material; the bandgap was calculated from the transmittance spectrum (UV-Vis spectrum).

FIG. 5 shows the current-voltage (I-V) characterization of the sample photocatalytic composite material in the presence of sunlight and CO2.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a carbon sequestration device chamber containing a sample carbon sequestration device having a substrate coated with a sample photocatalytic composite material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The term “catalyst” refers to a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any change.

The term “photocatalyst” refers a catalyst that helps bring about a light-catalyzed reaction.

The term “latent thermal catalyst” refers to a catalyst that is latent at a first elevated temperature, but is rapidly activated at a second temperature only slightly elevated over the first temperature.

A “bandgap,” also called an energy gap or band gap, is an energy range in a solid where no electron states exist.

A “metal” refers to a material that has no bandgap between the valance band and the conductance band of the material. The valance band and the conductance band overlap in a metal.

The term “semiconductor” refers to a material that has a bandgap greater than 0 eV and less than about 10 eV at 300K between the valance band and the conductance band of the material. For semiconductors, the band gap generally refers to the energy difference (in electron volts) between the top of the valence band and the bottom of the conduction band. It is the amount of energy required to free an outer shell electron from its orbit about the nucleus to become a mobile charge carrier, able to move freely within the solid material.

The term “quantum efficiency” refers to the percentage of photons hitting the photocatalyst that will produce an electron-hole pair.

Embodiments relate to photocatalytic composite materials that split an oxide of carbon into carbon (or another oxide of carbon) and oxygen when the photocatalytic composite materials are exposed to the oxide of carbon and sunlight. The oxides of carbon can be carbon monoxide, CO, carbon dioxide, CO2, and carbon suboxide, C3O2.

The photocatalytic composite material of the embodiments can comprise: (a) a first component that is a photocatalyst, e.g., a semiconductor, that generates a photoexcited electron and has at least a certain minimum bandgap to absorb visible light and a structure that substantially prevents the recombination of the photoexcited electron and a hole; (b) a second component that adsorbs/absorbs CO2 (in general Group I & II carbonates); and (c) a third component that is a latent thermal catalyst that splits CO2 into carbon and oxygen using the photoexcited electron. The first component and the second component can be in different heterogeneous phases in the photocatalytic composite material.

In one embodiment, the photocatalyst has a bandgap of at least about 3.4 eV, which generates sufficient power to split the oxides of carbon. Below are some materials having a bandgap of at least about 3.4 eV.

Material Symbol Band gap (eV) @ 300 K Aluminum nitride AlN 6.3 Diamond C 5.5 Zinc oxide ZnO 3.37 Zinc sulfide ZnS 3.6

In embodiments, the photocatalyst can be amorphous, thereby avoiding recombination of the photoexcited electrons and holes. A crystalline structure where recombination of the photoexcited electrons and holes is substantially prevented can also be used. A crystalline structure wherein recombination of photoexcited electrons and holes is substantially prevented of the embodiments herein is one that creates free photoexcited electrons that have sufficient power to split the oxides of carbon. Titanium oxy nitrate is an example of such a crystalline structure.

All semiconductors are not photocatalysts. Also, all photocatalysts do not work efficiently as catalysts in the visible region. An example choice of material of components one, two and three could be such so as to capture as much energy of the solar irradiation as possible, such that, the energy absorbed by the photocatalyst is sufficient to break the carbon-oxygen bond. The energy difference between the valance and conduction bands, i.e., the bandgap, determines how much solar energy will be absorbed and how much electrical energy (photoexcited electrons) is generated, with larger bandgap generally resulting in a better performance for generating the photoexcited electrons.

The first component can be a material having a certain minimum bandgap and a crystalline structure to provide good quantum efficiency. For example, the minimum bandgap can be that of titanium oxy nitrate (TiOxNy). There are other materials that have higher bandgap than TiOxNy, and can be used as the first component. In addition to the first component having a certain minimum bandgap and a crystalline structure, other factors for the selection of the first component are cheap availability of raw materials, ease of manufacture/process and handling, and non-toxicity.

The second component can be a material that satisfies the following criteria: adsorbs and/or absorbs CO2; does not degenerate over a period of time (i.e., has good long term stability); and is preferably, porous, inexpensive, easy to manufacture and handle, and non-toxic. Besides CaCO3 and/or MgCO3, other materials such as Na2CO3 and NaHCO3 can also be used as the second component.

In an embodiment, the third component is a material that is a latent thermal catalyst that splits CO2 into carbon and oxygen using a photoexcited electron. Besides WC (tungsten carbide), other materials such TaO2 (tantalum oxide), Pd, Pt, Ru, Sn, can be used as the third component.

In one embodiment, the photocatalytic composite material comprises clusters or particles of the first component comprising TiOxNy (x=4.7, 4.1, 4.3, 4.5; y=1.39, 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3), the second component comprising CaCO3 and/or MgCO3, and the third component comprising WC. TiOxNy and CaCO3 can be in the form of clusters or particles in different heterogeneous phases. The photocatalytic composite material structure can be of a size from about 400 nm to 1000 nm, with TiOxNy having a size of about 40 nm to 100 nm and CaCO3 or MgCO3 having a size of about 35 nm to 900 nm. For example, the photocatalytic composite material structure can be of a size of about 500 nm, with TiOxNy having a size of ˜50 nm and CaCO3 or MgCO3 having a size of ˜450 nm.

The photocatalytic composite materials of embodiments have the following advantages:

(1) Substantially no recombination of the photoexcited electrons and holes. Recombination generally occurs in crystalline structure due to crystal defect.

(2) Substantially no simultaneous proceeding of oxidation and reduction reactions at the same sites of photocatalyst. Simultaneous redox reaction at the same site results in redox potential, which can result in inefficient catalytic activity. In the embodiments, the photocatalyst does not cause simultaneous redox reaction at the same site in the photocatalyst.

(3) Photocatalytic activity in visible-light irradiation.

(4) High quantum efficiency of energy conversion. For example, quantum efficiency of TiOxNy is about 75% with a 100 cm2 with sun light incident on a clear day having approximately 7.5 Watt of power.

(5) Easy deposition of sized clusters or sized particles.

Other embodiments relate to a carbon sequestration device comprising a substrate and the photocatalytic composite material of the embodiments disclosed herein. The substrate can be transparent or non-transparent.

In one embodiment of the carbon sequestration device, a conductive layer can be located between the substrate and the photocatalytic composite material. The conductive layer can be a transparent conductive layer or a non-transparent conductive layer. Using a transparent substrate and a transparent conductive layer, the transparent conductive layer and the photocatalytic composite material can be applied on both sides of the substrate and exposed to sunlight. Using a non-transparent substrate, such as an exterior wall or roof of a house, the non-transparent conductive layer and the photocatalytic composite material can be applied on one side of the substrate.

Generally, the substrate can be any non-conductive material such as quartz plate, glass, plastic, or an exterior wall or roof of a home, among others. The conductive layer can be a metal layer or a transparent conductive layer such as ITO (indium tin oxide), aluminum oxide or zinc oxide layer.

EXAMPLES

An example of a carbon sequestration device is shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 (left) shows a single-sided carbon sequestration device exposed to sunlight (4) from one side. FIG. 1 (right) shows a double-sided carbon sequestration device exposed to sunlight (4) from both sides. The carbon sequestration device comprises a quartz substrate (1), a transparent conductive layer (2) of indium tin oxide (ITO) and a photocatalytic composite material layer (3). In the examples of FIG. 1, a composite comprising TiOxNy, CaCO3 and WC can be prepared by solvent casting and spray coating a solvent mixture of the composite on a quartz plate. A TiOxNy of bandgap energy of about 3.4 eV generates photoexcited electron after absorption of photon from sun. The calcium carbonate can contain pores so as to absorb carbon oxides (CO2 & CO). The binding energy of CO2 & CO is 187 Kcal/mol. The absorbed carbon oxides are split by the high energy photoexcited electron generated by the TiOxNy semiconducting material.

The device of FIG. 1 was made as follows. A conducting film, such as a transparent conducting oxide (ITO) thin film, was prepared on a transparent plate, e.g., quartz plate, a plastic plate, a glass plate, using indium-tin (90:10) with resistance of about 100 ohm. The process and the photocatalytic composite material (described below) were applied to the transparent conducting oxide coated surface. The purpose of the conducting film is to transport electrons or ions from TiOxNy to CaCO3.

The process for making the photocatalytic composite material having TiOxNy (x=4.7, y=1.39), CaCO3 and WC, and coating it onto a desired surface (i.e., on a ITO coated glass surface) is described in the following steps:

1. Take 5 weight % calcium carbonate and 2 weight % tungsten carbide in a round bottom flask in the presence of a solution containing 30 ml, 2 m ammonia and 5%, 20 ml acetic acid glacial.

2. Stir the above composition.

3. Add 5.9 ml, 20 mmol titanium-tetra-iso propoxide drop-by-drop.

4. Spray coat onto an ITO glass or any other suitable substrate/any surface at a temperature of 430° C. in an air free environment within a vacuum spray coating chamber.

While the embodiments are not limited a particular reaction scheme, one possible reaction scheme for the process of making the photocatalytic composite material is:

There are other methods that can be employed such as ball milling method and electron spin coating method.

The spray coated carbon sequestration device was tested and the results are as follows.

The crystalline nature of the TiOxNy photocatalyst in the sample photocatalytic composite material was verified by SEM imaging and analyzed using EDAX/XRD (energy dispersive spectroscopy/x-ray diffraction) spectrum (FIG. 2). The purpose of XRD spectrum was to check whether the TiOxNy photocatalyst in the sample photocatalytic composite material is crystalline or amorphous or poly crystalline.

FIG. 3 shows the Raman and FTIR spectra of the photocatalytic composite material. FIG. 4 shows EDAX/XRD spectrum obtained using FEI quanta FEG200-HRSEM. The transparency and bandgap were measured by UV-spectrum (JASCO-V-530) (FIG. 5). In FIGS. 2-5, the term TCCP refers to Titanium Calcium Carbonate based Photo catalyst (TCCP).

While photocatalysts are generally amorphous materials, TiOxNy is a crystalline material. FIG. 2 indicates the composition present in the photocatalytic composite material. FIG. 3 indicates the presence of functional groups such as COOH, OH, NH2 and SH. FIG. 4 shows the crystalline nature of the photocatalytic composite material. FIG. 5 shows the resultant photocatalytic activity measured by the current-voltage (I-V) characterization of the photocatalytic composite material when exposed to sunlight and CO2. The generated photoexcited electrons were utilized for splitting carbon and oxygen. Hence, the peaks in FIG. 5 are pointing down. When the coating of the carbon sequestration device became black due to the deposition of carbon on the surface of the device, the peak height of the peaks continued to decrease because the photoexcited electron were not utilized in splitting CO2 into carbon and oxygen.

From the data presented in FIGS. 2-5, it can be conclusively reasoned that the bandgap of the TiOxNy is sufficient to absorb the UV-Vis spectrum; FIG. 5 a shows the functionality of the semiconducting material demonstrating generation of electrons in the presence of sunlight; FIG. 5 b shows the on and off exposure of the photocatalytic composite material to both sunlight and CO2; and FIG. 5 c demonstrates the splitting of CO2, which was further verified as carbon black was formed.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic of a sample carbon sequestration device having a substrate coated with a sample photocatalytic composite material. FIG. 6 shows an example of a carbon sequestration device chamber (11) containing a sample carbon sequestration device (12) having a substrate coated with a sample photocatalytic composite material. The carbon sequestration device chamber is typically a transparent chamber having a carbon dioxide inlet (13) and an oxygen outlet (14).

The sample photocatalytic composite material that prepared as explained above was exposed to sunlight and over a period of time the collection of carbon was accumulated by brushing the surface the photocatalytic composite material with a soft brush.

The photocatalytic composite material described above has various applications:

(1) For the breakdown of CO2 to its constituents C and O2 or CO.

(2) For the reduction in CO2 in the atmosphere, when deployed on a larger scale, which may mitigate the present global warming climate crisis.

(3) For the replacement for a silicon based approach, which is expensive due to the cost structure when compared to the simple process and material used in this approach.

(4) For the adoption on its own or along with solar panels panel technology at various locations such urban areas, coal/gas/oil fired CO2 generating power generation plants, on household roof tops and exterior walls of a household, office/hotel complexes, to claim carbon credits, and bus stops/parking lots.

In the detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated herein.

The present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particular embodiments described in this application, which are intended as illustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations can be made without departing from its spirit and scope, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of the disclosure, in addition to those enumerated herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing descriptions. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. The present disclosure is to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to particular methods, reagents, compounds compositions or biological systems, which can, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting.

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for the sake of clarity.

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes, but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general, such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include, but not be limited to, systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general, such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include, but not be limited to, systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.

As will be understood by one skilled in the art, for any and all purposes, such as in terms of providing a written description, all ranges disclosed herein also encompass any and all possible subranges and combinations of subranges thereof. Any listed range can be easily recognized as sufficiently describing and enabling the same range being broken down into at least equal halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, tenths, etc. As a non-limiting example, each range discussed herein can be readily broken down into a lower third, middle third and upper third, etc. As will also be understood by one skilled in the art all language such as “up to,” “at least,” “greater than,” “less than,” and the like include the number recited and refer to ranges, which can be subsequently broken down into subranges as discussed above. Finally, as will be understood by one skilled in the art, a range includes each individual member. Thus, for example, a group having 1-3 cells refers to groups having 1, 2, or 3 cells. Similarly, a group having 1-5 cells refers to groups having 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 cells, and so forth.

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A photocatalytic composite material comprising: (a) a first component that generates a photoexcited electron and has at least a certain minimum bandgap to absorb visible light and a structure that substantially prevents the recombination of the photoexcited electron and a hole; wherein the first component comprises a photocatalyst; (b) a second component that adsorbs/absorbs an oxide of carbon; and (c) a third component that splits the oxide of carbon into carbon and oxygen using the photoexcited electron; wherein: the composite material comprises at least one cluster or particle; and the cluster or particle comprising the first component, the second component, and the third component.
 2. The material of claim 1, wherein the photocatalyst comprises a semiconductor.
 3. The material of claim 1, wherein the photocatalyst comprises titanium oxy nitrate.
 4. The material of claim 1, wherein the certain minimum bandgap is at least about 3.4 eV.
 5. The material of claim 1, wherein the photocatalyst is crystalline.
 6. The material of claim 1, wherein the second component comprises a Group I or II carbonate.
 7. The material of claim 1, wherein the second component comprises CaCO₃, MgCO₃, Na₂CO₃, NaHCO₃ or combinations thereof.
 8. The material of claim 1, wherein the third component comprises WC, TaO₂, Pd, Pt, Ru, Sn or combinations thereof.
 9. The material of claim 1, wherein the first component comprises titanium oxy nitrate of formula TiOxNy, wherein x=4.7, 4.1, 4.3, or 4.5 and y=1.39, 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3.
 10. A carbon sequestration device comprising a substrate and a photocatalytic composite material comprising: (a) a first component that generates a photoexcited electron and has at least a certain minimum bandgap to absorb visible light and a structure that substantially prevents the recombination of the photoexcited electron and a hole; (b) a second component that adsorbs/absorbs an oxide of carbon; and (c) a third component that splits the oxide of carbon into carbon and oxygen using the photoexcited electron; wherein: the composite material comprises at least one cluster or particle; and the cluster or particle comprising the first component, the second component, and the third component.
 11. The device of claim 10, wherein the substrate comprises a transparent or non-transparent non-conductive material.
 12. The device of claim 10, wherein the substrate comprises quartz, plastic, glass, a wall, a roof, or combinations thereof.
 13. The device of claim 10, further comprising a conductive layer between the substrate the photocatalytic composite material.
 14. The device of claim 13, wherein the conductive layer is transparent or non-transparent.
 15. The device of claim 13, wherein the conductive layer comprises a metal layer, an indium-tin-oxide layer, a zinc oxide layer, an aluminum oxide layer, or combinations thereof. 